Finishing in Colina

Dear Family,

I am in Colina! Esmeralda will be my last area and it´s a branch. They have been baptizing a lot here lately and I am so excited to finish my mission strong! Colina is 40 minutes outside of Santiago and on the way to Los Andes. It looks a lot like Los Andes, with the difference that it is surrounded by hills instead of mountains. Colina means hill in Spanish.

I think despite my excitement for this new area, I will have a hard week. Leaving an area that you have been in for 7 months is hard! So maybe you could throw in a few extra prayers for me, please.

Do you remember a man named Enrique that I talked about in January? Well we were working this last week and all of our plans were falling through, but we just kept following the back-up plans and we´re walking down the street when we run into Enrique! It was crazy and really emotional for me, because of what had happened when we taught him last. He has lost weight and is a lot happier than he was before. He is going to be baptized on the last day of my mission!
Yesterday I was thinking a lot about how much has happened since I got to Compañía and how much I have changed. I think I went through some of the biggest trials of my life and I learned a lot. Want to know what I learned?
1. It is not worth it to be mad.
2. Don´t be obedient to just be obedient. Understand and have a testimony of the truth of the rules.
3. My happiness depends on me and I will keep the key to it in my own pocket.
4. The Book of Mormon answers all questions. We should trust in God instead of man.

My new companion is H Ruiz, she is from Nicaragua (I have no idea how to spell that!) and she is tiny, tiny. I am pretty excited to have a latin companion again, my Spanish is going to improve!

Crazy story. We taught a nice old lady named Aurelia last week. She forgets a lot of things and has a hard time understanding us Gringas. Well she expressed her frustration about losing her mind, forgetting things,and getting lost in the street; at the end she was in tears. We talked with her about how the spirit will help her to get better and then went to say the closing prayer. H Dinsdale said it and it creeped me out to listen to my companion talking with an accent of a Chilean. I kept thinking during the prayer that she was just trying to pronounce better and that in any moment it would switch back to her voice. Well it never switched back. She ended the prayer and we looked at each other and I said to her, “What just happened to your voice?” She said I don´t know. I think Aurelia needed to understand the prayer so the Spirit spoke through H Dinsdale. That is the gift of tongues right there!

Hey! I love you!
Hermana Arnold
PS I was worried about having to change houses, because the apartment in Compania is the best ever and pretty much like living in the United States without heating. But..this house looks pretty good, the bed at least looks new! Woo hoo! We only eat with members Saturday and Sunday, which will be weird to make my own food, but will help my body out a lot. This mission has really killed all of the good that slim for life did. I have had some intense heart burn lately, so bad that I couldn´t teach a lesson. My heart feels really tight and it is hard to breath. So I am not drinking pop and I am drinking a tea that an hermano recommended. Please don´t worry about that news mom!

Jonathan is one multi talented boy, his one day wife is going to love him! (comment made after seeing the wrapping job he did on Ben's present) Jonathan is so cute I just want to hug the guts out of him. He is still giving everybody hugs all the time right?
I like how Chris and Andrea attend all of our birthday parties. And Ben and I don´t even know Chris yet!
Is Matthew ready to do another rockin jam session soon?